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I am glad to come once again to Chicago and
especially to have the opportunity of taking part in the dedication of this
important project of civic betterment.

On my trip across the continent and back I
have been shown many evidences of the result of common-sense cooperation
between municipalities and the Federal Government, and I have been greeted by
tens of thousands of Americans who have told me in every look and word that
their material and spiritual well-being has made great strides forward in the
past few years.

And yet, as I have seen with my own eyes, the
prosperous farms, the thriving factories, and the busy railroads--as I have seen
the happiness and security and peace which covers our wide land--almost
inevitably I have been compelled to contrast our peace with very different
scenes being enacted in other parts of the world.

It is because the people of the United States
under modern conditions must, for the sake of their own future, give thought to
the rest of the world, that I, as the responsible executive head of the Nation,
have chosen this great inland city and this gala occasion to speak to you on a
subject of definite national importance.

The political situation in the world, which
of late has been growing progressively worse, is such as to cause grave concern
and anxiety to all the peoples and nations who wish to live in peace and amity
with their neighbors.

Some 15 years ago the hopes of mankind for a
continuing era of international peace were raised to great heights when more
than 6 nations solemnly pledged themselves not to resort to arms in furtherance

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of their national aims and policies. The high aspirations pressed in
the Briand-Kellogg Peace Pact and the hopes for peace thus raised have of late
given away to a haunting fear of calamity. The present reign of terror
and international lawlessness began a few years ago.

It began through unjustified interference in the internal affairs of other nations or
the invasion of alien territory in violation of treaties and has now reached a
stage where the very foundations of civilization are seriously threatened. The
landmarks and traditions which have marked the progress of civilization toward
a condition of law, order, and justice are being wiped away.

Without a declaration of war and without
warning or justification of any kind, civilians, including women and children,
are being ruthlessly murdered with bombs from the air. In times of so-called
peace ships are being attacked and sunk by submarines without cause or notice.
Nations are fomenting and taking sides in civil warfare in nations that have
never done them any harm. Nations claiming freedom for themselves deny it to others.

Innocent peoples and nations are being
cruelly sacrificed to a greed for power and supremacy which is devoid of all
sense of justice and humane consideration.

To paraphrase a recent author, "perhaps
we foresee a time when men, exultant in the technique of homicide, will rage so
hotly over the world that every precious thing will be in danger, every book
and picture and harmony, every treasure garnered through two millenniums, the
small, the delicate, the defenseless--all will be lost or wrecked or utterly
destroyed."

If those things come to pass in other parts
of the world let no one imagine that America will escape, that it may expect
mercy, that this Western Hemisphere will not be attacked, and that it will continue
tranquilly and peacefully to carry on the ethics and the arts of civilization.

If those days come "there will be no
safety by arms, no help from authority, no answer in science. The storm will
rage till every flower of culture is trampled and all human beings are leveled
in a vast chaos."

If those days are not to come to pass--if we
are to have a world in which we can breathe freely and live in amity without
fear--the peace-loving nations must make a concerted effort to uphold laws and
principles on which alone peace can rest secure.

The peace-loving nations must make a
concerted effort in opposition to those violations of treaties and those
ignorings of humane

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instincts which today are creating a state of international anarchy and
instability from which there is no escape through mere isolation or neutrality.

Those who cherish their freedom and recognize
and respect the equal right of their neighbors to be free and live in peace,
must work together for the triumph of law and moral principles in order that
peace, justice, and confidence may prevail in the world. There must be a return
to a belief in the pledged word, in the value of a signed treaty. There must be
recognition of the fact that national morality is as vital as private morality.

A bishop wrote me the other day: "It
seems to me that something greatly needs to be said in behalf of ordinary
humanity against the present practice of carrying the horrors of war to
helpless civilians, especially women and children. It may be that such a
protest might be regarded by many, who claim to be realists, as futile, but may
it not be that the heart of mankind is so filled with horror at the present
needless suffering that that force could be mobilized in sufficient volume to
lessen such cruelty in the days ahead. Even though it may take twenty years,
which God forbid, for civilization to make effective its corporate protest
against this barbarism, surely strong voices may hasten the day."

There is a solidarity and interdependence
about the modern world, both technically and morally, which makes it impossible
for any nation completely to isolate itself from economic and political
upheavals in the rest of the world, especially when such upheavals appear to be
spreading and not declining. There can be no stability or peace either within
nations or between nations except under laws and moral standards adhered to by
all. International anarchy destroys every foundation for peace. It jeopardizes
either the immediate or the future security of every nation, large or small. It
is, therefore, a matter of vital interest and concern to the people of the
United States that the sanctity of international treaties and the maintenance
of international morality be restored.

The overwhelming majority of the peoples and
nations of the world today want to live in peace. They seek the removal of
barriers against trade. They want to exert themselves in industry, in
agriculture, and in business, that they may increase their wealth through the
production of wealth-producing goods rather than striving to produce military
planes and bombs and machine guns and cannon for the destruction of human lives
and useful property.

In those nations of the world which seem to
be piling armament on armament for purposes of aggression, and those other
nations which

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fear acts of aggression against them and their security, a very high
proportion of their national income is being spent directly for armaments. It
runs from 30 to as high as 50 percent.

The proportion that we in the United States spend is far less--11 or 12 percent.

How happy we are that the circumstances of
the moment permit us to put our money into bridges and boulevards, dams and
reforestation, the conservation of our soil, and many other kinds of useful
works rather than into huge standing armies and vast supplies of implements of war.

I am compelled and you are compelled,
nevertheless, to look ahead. The peace, the freedom, and the security of 90
percent of the population of the world is being jeopardized by the remaining 10
percent, who are threatening a breakdown of all international order and law.
Surely the 90 percent who want to live in peace under law and in accordance
with moral standards that have received almost universal acceptance through the
centuries, can and must find some way to make their will prevail.

The situation is definitely of universal
concern. The questions involved relate not merely to violations of specific
provisions of particular treaties; they are questions of war and of peace, of
international law, and especially of principles of humanity. It is true that
they involve definite violations of agreements, and especially of the Covenant
of the League of Nations, the Briand-Kellogg Pact, and the Nine Power Treaty.
But they also involve problems of world economy, world security, and word humanity.

It is true that the moral consciousness of
the world must recognize the importance of removing injustices and well-founded
grievances; but at the same time it must be aroused to the cardinal necessity
of honoring sanctity of treaties, of respecting the rights and liberties of
others, and of putting an end to acts of international aggression.

It seems to be unfortunately true that the epidemic of world lawlessness is spreading.

When an epidemic of physical disease starts
to spread, the community approves and joins in a quarantine of the patients in
order to protect the health of the community against the spread of the disease.

It is my determination to pursue a policy of
peace and to adopt every practicable measure to avoid involvement in war. It
ought to be inconceivable that in this modern area, and in the face of
experience, any nation could be so foolish and ruthless as to run the risk of
plunging the whole world into war by invading and violating in contravention of
solemn treaties the territory of other nations that

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have done them no real harm and which are too weak to protect themselves
adequately. Yet the peace of the world and the welfare and security of every
nation is today being threatened by that very thing.

No nation which refuses to exercise
forbearance and to respect the freedom and rights of others can long remain
strong and retain the confidence and respect of other nations. No nation ever
loses its dignity or good standing by conciliating its differences and by
exercising great patience with and consideration for the rights of other
nations.

War is a contagion, whether it be declared or
undeclared. It engulfs states and peoples remote from the original scene of
hostilities. We are determined to keep out of war, yet we cannot insure
ourselves against the disastrous effects of war and the danger of involvement.
We are adopting such measures as will minimize our risk of involvement, but we
cannot have complete protection in a world of disorder in which confidence and
security have broken down.

If civilization is to survive the principles
of the Prince of Peace must be restored. Shattered trust between nations must
be revived.

Most important of all, the will for peace on
the part of peace-loving nations must express itself to the end that nations
that may be tempted to violate their agreements and the rights of others will
desist from such a cause. There must be positive endeavors to preserve peace.